JP2004153407A - Mobile device with camera - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a camera-equipped mobile device capable of realizing multifunctionality by enabling a subject to be accurately and easily photographed in a predetermined usage.
A camera-equipped mobile phone 1 according to the present invention has a first housing 2 and a second housing 3 that are foldably connected, and the first housing 2 is folded in a folded state. It has a camera section 21 located on the outer surface 2b. When the first housing 2 and the second housing 3 are opened and the outer surface 3b of the second housing 3 is mounted on the mounting surface 50, the camera unit 21 is mounted on the mounting surface. It is configured such that a subject (for example, point P) on the same plane as 50 can be focused and close-up.
[Selection diagram] FIG.

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a camera-equipped mobile device, and more particularly to a camera-equipped mobile device having two housings that are foldably connected and having a camera that is positioned on an outer surface of one housing in a folded state. It is.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, mobile phones have become widespread, and their shapes are roughly classified into three types: straight type, flip type, and clamshell type. Above all, the clamshell type is more compact than the other two types because it can be downsized by folding.
[0003]
Recently, mobile phones equipped with cameras have come to market. Such a camera-equipped mobile phone is proposed in, for example, JP-A-2002-262164, Utility Model Registration No. 3085476, and the like (see Patent Literatures 1 and 2).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-262164
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3085476
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, with the camera-equipped mobile phones disclosed in these publications, it is sometimes difficult to accurately and easily view a subject with a camera depending on the intended use.
[0007]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile device with a camera capable of realizing multi-functionality by enabling a subject to be photographed accurately and easily in a predetermined use.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The camera-equipped mobile device of the present invention has a first housing and a second housing that are foldably connected, and has a camera that is positioned on an outer surface of the first housing in a folded state. A portable device with a camera, wherein the camera is mounted with the first housing and the second housing open and the outer surface of the second housing mounted on the mounting surface. It is characterized in that it is configured so that close-up photography can be performed while focusing on the same plane as the surface.
[0009]
According to the camera-equipped mobile device of the present invention, the camera is configured to focus on the same plane as the mounting surface so as to be able to take close-up shots, so that the camera accurately captures an object placed on the mounting surface. It is possible to accurately display the information on a display screen mounted on the portable device. Further, if the subject placed on the mounting surface is enlarged and displayed on the display screen, the portable device can be used as a magnifying glass (magnifying glass). Thus, the subject placed on the mounting surface can be accurately and easily displayed, and a function as a magnifying glass (magnifying glass) can be added.
[0010]
Preferably, in the above-mentioned camera-equipped mobile device, the first housing has one end connected to the second housing, and the other end opposite to the one end, and the camera has one end and the other end. Are located on one end side of the center of the.
[0011]
For example, if the camera is arranged near the other end on the opposite side of the connecting portion, when the first housing is shaken with respect to the second housing, the camera portion is largely shaken. By arranging the cameras, blurring in the camera portion can be reduced, and imaging with less influence of blurring can be performed.
[0012]
Preferably, the mobile device with a camera further includes a display unit disposed on an outer surface of the first housing, and the camera is positioned closer to the connection unit with the second housing than the display unit. .
[0013]
As described above, the display unit can be arranged on the outer surface of the first housing, and by locating the camera closer to the connecting unit than the display unit, it is possible to perform imaging with less influence of blur.
[0014]
Preferably, in the above-mentioned camera-equipped mobile device, a shutter button is arranged on the second housing.
[0015]
If the first housing has a shutter button, blurring occurs during shooting, but by arranging the shutter button in the second housing, blurring during shooting can be prevented.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0017]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a clamshell-type camera-equipped mobile phone in an open state as a camera-equipped mobile device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the mobile phone shown in FIG. 1 from the rear side. 3 and 4 are a perspective view and a side view showing the appearance of the mobile phone shown in FIG. 1 in a folded state.
[0018]
With reference to FIG. 1, a mobile phone 1 has a first housing 2 and a second housing 3. The first housing 2 and the second housing 3 are connected via a hinge 4, and are configured to be foldable by moving around the hinge 4 so as to be freely angularly displaceable. Thereby, the mobile phone 1 can be opened as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, or can be folded as shown in FIGS.
[0019]
The mobile phone 1 has a main display unit 5 and a speaker 6 on an inner surface 2a of a first housing 2 which is positioned inside in a folded state. The display unit 5 includes a liquid crystal display, an EL (Electro Luminescent) display, and the like, and is a unit that displays an image based on image data. The speaker 6 is located above the display unit 5 and emits the voice of the other party during a call or the like.
[0020]
On the inner surface 3a of the second housing 3, an input button group 7 including keys for inputting numbers and characters, and a function button group 8 for performing various setting / function switching in the mobile phone 1. And a microphone 14 for telephone calls. The function button group 8 includes a power button 9 for turning on / off the power, a camera button 10 for switching to the camera mode, a mail / guidance button 11 for displaying a camera function, a mail function, and a guidance display, which will be described later. The user has a start / speaker receiving button 12 for starting a call and receiving a speaker, and a multi-guide button 13 including a four-way button and a center determination button (shutter button) for selecting up, down, left, and right on a function selection screen. It has so that operation of is possible.
[0021]
The arrangement order of the hinge 4, the function button group 8, the input button group 7, the microphone 14 and the like in the second housing 3 of the mobile phone 1 is generally arranged as shown in the figure, but is not limited to this. Not something.
[0022]
Referring to FIG. 2, a camera unit 21, a light unit 22, a sub display unit 20, and a button group 24 are provided on an outer surface 2 b of the first housing 2 which is located outside in a folded state. Have been. The button group 24 has a shutter button 23 and operation buttons 24a and 24b.
[0023]
The display unit 20 includes a liquid crystal display, an EL display, and the like. Here, the displayable area of the display unit 20 is smaller than the display unit 5, but may be larger or the same size. The display unit 20 displays image data obtained by shooting and an image based on character image data for notifying time, radio wave intensity, mail reception, and the like.
[0024]
The camera section 21 includes a photographic lens, a photographic element such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) image sensor or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor, and three color filters of RGB. The camera unit 21 converts the light reflected by the subject and incident on the photographing lens into RGB three-color lights through a color filter, and the RGB three-color lights are respectively incident on the CCD.
[0025]
The light unit 22 is used as an auxiliary light source when shooting with the camera unit 21. In general, the auxiliary light source uses a xenon tube in many cases, but recently, an RGB LED (light emitting diode) is used. These LEDs can emit light simultaneously to obtain white light illumination.
[0026]
The shutter button 23 is disposed at the center of the back of the display unit 5 of the first housing 2 and is located below the display unit 20 when the mobile phone 1 is folded as shown in FIGS. ing. By arranging the shutter button 23 at this position, the user can easily confirm the position of the shutter button 23 in the folded state and easily operate the shutter.
[0027]
On both sides of the shutter button 23, operation buttons 24a and 24b for performing various data settings or operations while checking display information on the display unit 20 are provided. The operation buttons 24a and 24b are operated in conjunction with the display of information on the display unit 20 to perform various function settings, display or search of an address book, confirmation of mail, display and transmission, and the like. Further, by operating the operation buttons 24a and 24b, a zoom-in or zoom-out operation at the time of photographing, a display operation of a plurality of images while moving forward or a backward moving operation, and the like can be performed.
[0028]
On the outer surface 3b of the second housing 3, an antenna unit 25, a vertically movable helical unit 26, a battery unit 27 for storing a battery, and a speaker 28 for sounding a ringtone are provided.
[0029]
In this embodiment, it should be particularly noted that, when the mobile phone 1 is opened and the outer surface 3b of the second housing 3 is placed on the placement surface 50 as shown in FIG. The camera unit 21 is configured so as to focus on a subject (for example, a point P) on the same plane as the mounting surface 50 and to perform close-up shooting. Further, it is preferable that the image of the subject photographed by the camera unit 21 can be enlarged and displayed on the display unit 5.
[0030]
As described above, the camera unit 21 is configured to focus on the same plane as the mounting surface 50 so as to allow close-up photography, so that the subject placed on the mounting surface 50 can be accurately photographed by the camera unit 21. It is possible to accurately display the information on the display unit 5 mounted on the mobile phone 1. Further, if the subject placed on the mounting surface 50 is enlarged and displayed on the display unit 5, the mobile phone 1 can be used as a magnifying glass (magnifying glass). In other words, small characters and patterns written on paper placed on the mounting surface 50 can be viewed as large characters and patterns on the screen of the display unit 5 and focus on small characters and patterns. By photographing together, large characters, patterns, and the like can be clearly displayed on the screen of the display unit 5, so that people with poor eyes can clearly recognize the characters, patterns, and the like.
[0031]
Referring to FIG. 6, first housing 2 has one end 2c connected to second housing 3 and the other end 2d opposite to one end 2c. It may be located closer to the one end 2c than the center CC between the one end 2c and the other end 2d (that is, the position where the distance L1 from the one end 2c is equal to the distance L2 from the other end 2d). preferable.
[0032]
As shown in FIG. 5, if the first housing 2 is moved with respect to the second housing 3 in the direction of arrow B about the hinge 4, the camera unit is located near the other end 2 d on the opposite side to the hinge 4. When the camera 21 is disposed, the camera unit 21 is greatly blurred. On the other hand, if the camera unit 21 is arranged near the one end 2c, even if the first housing 2 is shaken in the direction of arrow B as described above, the shake in the camera unit 21 can be reduced, and It is possible to shoot with less influence of the image. In particular, in the case of photographing a subject located at a very close position as in the present embodiment, even a small blur causes a remarkable influence of the blur on the captured image. Thus, the camera unit 21 is arranged on the hinge side as much as possible. This is very effective in eliminating the effects of blurring as much as possible.
[0033]
When the display unit 20 is provided on the outer surface 2 b of the first housing 2, the camera unit 21 is closer to the connection portion with the second housing 3 than the display unit 20 (that is, the one end 2 c Side).
[0034]
By arranging the camera unit 21 as much as possible on the hinge 4 side as described above, the sub display unit 20 is arranged near the center of the outer surface 2b of the first housing 2 (near the center line CC). The design becomes easy, the size of the sub display unit 20 becomes large, and the layout of the button group 24 becomes easy.
[0035]
Next, shooting of a subject using the camera unit 21 of the mobile phone 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0036]
In a general usage method for photographing the subject 30 shown in FIG. 7, the user opens the mobile phone 1, photographs the camera unit 21 toward the subject 30, and uses the display unit 5 as a finder. Although the center determination button of the multi-guide button 13 is used for the shutter operation, it is also possible to use the shutter button 23 provided on the back surface of the first housing 2.
[0037]
FIG. 8 shows a general use method when the user uses the camera unit 21 to photograph the user himself. In this case, by using the display unit 20 as a finder, the user can perform a shutter operation by pressing the shutter button 23 while checking the photographed image of the user.
[0038]
In a general mobile phone, when displaying an image on the display unit 20, in order to eliminate a sense of incongruity at the time of checking the image, the image is often inverted left and right and displayed as an image reflected on a mirror. It is not limited. Note that the mobile phone 1 is easy to use because the user can photograph the user himself in a folded state. It should be noted that the shooting of the user himself is not limited to a mode in which the mobile phone 1 is used in a folded state, but can be shot in an open state.
[0039]
FIG. 9 shows a usage method when the user uses the mobile phone 1 as a magnifying glass (magnifying glass). In this case, the user places the outer surface of the second housing 3 of the mobile phone 1 on a desk or the like, and uses the camera unit 21 arranged on the outer surface 2b of the first housing 2 to pick up a subject on the desk. The subject is recognized and displayed on the display unit 5 (enlarged display or the like).
[0040]
The switching between the normal shooting and the close-up shooting by the camera is performed by turning the outer ring 21a of the camera unit 21 shown in FIG. Specifically, by turning the outer ring 21a, as shown in FIG. 10, the macro / standard switching knob of the camera module linked with the outer ring 21a is turned, thereby moving the lens and changing the focal length, thereby causing close-up photography. And normal shooting are switched.
[0041]
In this embodiment, a mobile phone has been described as a mobile device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a personal digital assistant with a camera (PDA: personal data assistant), a notebook with a camera It can be widely applied to portable devices such as personal computers.
[0042]
The embodiments disclosed this time are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.
[0043]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the camera-equipped mobile device of the present invention, the camera is configured so that it can focus on the same plane as the mounting surface and close up, so that the subject placed on the mounting surface can be captured by the camera. Accurate shooting can be performed, and the image can be accurately displayed on a display screen mounted on the mobile device. Further, if the subject placed on the mounting surface is enlarged and displayed on the display screen, the portable device can be used as a magnifying glass (magnifying glass). Thus, the subject placed on the mounting surface can be accurately and easily displayed, and a function as a magnifying glass (magnifying glass) can be added.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a clamshell-type camera-equipped mobile phone as an open state as a camera-equipped mobile device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the mobile phone shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the rear side.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the mobile phone shown in FIG. 1 in a folded state.
FIG. 4 is a side view showing an external appearance of the mobile phone shown in FIG. 1 in a folded state.
FIG. 5 is a side view for explaining close-up photography of a camera unit.
FIG. 6 is a plan view for explaining an arrangement position of a camera unit.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a first usage method of photographing a subject using a camera unit of a mobile phone.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a second usage method of photographing a subject using a camera unit of a mobile phone.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a third usage method of shooting an object using a camera unit of a mobile phone.
FIG. 10 is a plan view for explaining an outer peripheral ring and a camera module.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cellular phone, 2 1st housing, 2a inner surface, 2b outer surface, 2c one end, 2d other end, 2nd housing, 3a inner surface, 3b outer surface, 4 hinges, 5 display part, 6 Speaker, 7 input buttons, 8 function buttons, 9 power button, 10 shutter button, 11 guidance button, 12 speaker reception button, 13 multi-guide button, 14 microphone, 20 display section, 21 camera section, 21a outer ring, 22 light section, 23 shutter button, 24 button group, 24a operation button, 25 antenna section, 26 helical section, 27 battery section, 28 speaker, 30 subject, 50 mounting surface.

Claims (4)

A camera-equipped mobile device having a first housing and a second housing foldably connected, and having a camera positioned on an outer surface of the first housing in a folded state,
In a state where the first housing and the second housing are opened and the outer surface of the second housing is mounted on a mounting surface, the camera is the same as the mounting surface described above. A mobile device with a camera, characterized in that it is configured to focus on a plane and allow close-up photography. The first housing has one end connected to the second housing, and the other end opposite to the one end, and the camera is located at a center between the one end and the other end. The camera-equipped mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the camera-equipped mobile device is also located on the one end side. The camera further includes a display unit disposed on the outer surface of the first housing, wherein the camera is located closer to the connection unit with the second housing than the display unit. The mobile device with a camera according to claim 1. The camera-equipped mobile device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a shutter button is arranged on the second housing.

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